Over-the-counter magnesium tablets can banish the blues in just TWO WEEKS without the side effects associated with antidepressants

Over-the-counter magnesium tablets can banish the blues in just TWO WEEKS without the side effects associated with antidepressants

Over-the-counter magnesium tablets significantly improve depression in just two weeks, new research reveals.

Unlike antidepressants, taking a daily dose of the mineral eases the mental health condition without causing side effects, the research adds.

Some 61 percent of the study’s participants said they would use magnesium supplements to manage their depression in the future.

Magnesium is thought to ease depression by combating inflammation, which is linked to the mental health condition.

Study author Emily Tarleton from he University of Vermont, said: ‘The results are very encouraging, given the great need for additional treatment options for depression, and our finding that magnesium supplementation provides a safe, fast and inexpensive approach to controlling depressive symptoms.’

How the study was carried out

Researchers from the University of Vermont analyzed 126 adults with an average age of 52 and mild-to-moderate depression.

Some of the study’s participants were given 248mg of magnesium every day for six weeks. This is generally considered a low dose.

The remaining participants were not treated for their depression.

All of the participants’ symptoms were assessed twice a week via phone calls.

Key findings

Results, published in the journal PLOS ONE, revealed taking a daily magnesium tablet significantly improved participants’ depression and anxiety symptoms after just two weeks.

The tablets were well tolerated with no serious side effects. Antidepressants frequently cause nausea, weight gain and insomnia.

Some 61 percent of the participants said they would use magnesium tablets to manage their mental health condition in the future.

Magnesium is thought to ease depression by combating inflammation, which is linked to the mental health condition.

Ms Tarleton said: ‘This is the first randomized clinical trial looking at the effect of magnesium supplementation on symptoms of depression in US adults.

‘The results are very encouraging, given the great need for additional treatment options for depression, and our finding that magnesium supplementation provides a safe, fast and inexpensive approach to controlling depressive symptoms.’